Cosmic Plaything
by Clear Skydancer
Summary: Nathan Flanagan's life could have been summed up with a few simple words. Boring, average, unexceptional. Reasonable to wish for something more, right ? Harmless, wishing for a little excitement, right ? Normally: yes. When a group of reality warpers hear you ? Oh, no sir. Now Nate has a few questions. Who are they and do they want with him ? And why are they dressed so oddly ?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Pokémon is sadly, not my property. If it was... let's worry about that later. **

Clichéd.

That was the easiest way to describe the castle. It was situated in the middle of nowhere, had perpetually bad weather surrounding it, and seemed to be capture the images of every child's worst nightmare. It was clearly not a place to go near, at any costs.

Then it wasn't.

A second glimpse showed a picturesque white palace that wouldn't be out of place in a schoolgirl's fantasy. There were rainbows, flowers, and if one was particularly observant, they would have been able to see what looked like winged ponyta circling in the sky. Definitely a fantasy, seeing as there was no such thing as a winged ponyta. A truly wonderful sight, if one could get past the overwhelming smell of Razz-berries. Even at night it glowed with a warm light, illuminating the countryside.

Again it changed.

Looking at it a third time showed an architect's nightmare. Impossible angles, tower's with minimal support, and some with no visible source at all. The entire thing looked like was ready to come crashing down at any moment.

A fourth glimpse would reveal that it had turned upside down, taking the door with it, and leaving the entrance inaccessible.

It also had a moat at times, though what it was filled with was anyone's guess.

A sane man would look at it once and walk away. An insane man would try and see how many times the castle could change.

The mental stability of the figure who walked up to the castle and entered is better left to the imagination.

That being said, once the figure entered the castle, it vanished without a trace, fading into the night.

* * *

Some people have days where everything goes according to plan. Others have days where every event is a pleasant surprise, perhaps exciting new encounters, meeting one's soulmate, or maybe even winning the lottery.

Nathan Flanagan was not having one of those days.

That isn't to say that his day was one of those days where everything goes wrong. No, that imply some sort of excitement, or at least something new. Unfortunately for Nathan, or Nate as he liked to be called, it was one of those days where everything is exactly the same as the day before. Nothing new, nothing exciting, and nothing spontaneous.

_You know ?_ Nate thought to himself, tracing the route home from school that he took every day. _Sometimes I just wish that something exciting would happen. Nothing much, just something to take away the boredom._

As he exited Cherrygrove to go towards his home in New Bark, he thought he heard something. If it were possible to giggle, cackle, and chuckle all at once, not only would the maker of said noise be extremely talented, but he (or she, since political correctness is a thing now) would also be very close to the noise Nate was hearing.

Nate was equally creeped out and repulsed, though a small part of him screamed for him to squee. He stomped on that part of him, because it was not very smart, and usually told him to do things like pet the adorable Teddiursa that had no reason being so far way from its natural habitat. Such thoughts usually led to Nate learning that even though Teddiursa did not learn any biting moves, it still hurt when they bit you. A lot.

With the somewhat distant memory of painful disinfectant and learning that no, humans could not contract pokérus, and no, they also did not become half human, half pokémon hybrids when bitten; Nate decided to make a (surprisingly wise) decision: Ignore the sound.

The sound soon died down, and Nate let out a sigh of relief. While that was interesting, it wasn't exactly what I'd call exciting.

**Oh good, I'd hate for you to think that was exciting ~**

The voice seemed to come from everywhere.

Nate froze. "Who's there ?"

**If you did, that would spoil what comes next,** The voice continued, ignoring Nate's question. **Well, I should probably get going, things to plan and all that.**

**Do enjoy your last boring day, you likely won't have another one for a long time.**

For the first time since he was in grade school, Nate ran home.

* * *

Though the castle had disappeared on the outside, the inside was more or less intact. If one was able to get past the gaping holes in reality leading to destinations in just about every region, it was really quite a cozy place.

The figure wasted no time after entering the building, discarding his (Because it became apparent that he was indeed, a male) cloak and zipping through the hall before the door had even finished closing. His progress was an interesting sight to behold. The laws of physics seemed to be taking a day off, seeing how he was able to change direction, stop, or even reverse to avoid the pockets of other dimension littering the halls without any regard for conservation of motion. At times he seemed to float, while at others the walls and ceiling were viable places to traverse.

Making remarkable time, the figure reached a vast, nearly empty room. Gone were the areas of unreality that inhabited the entrance hall, replaced by a feeling of emptiness. The sole inhabitants of the room were a small group of people near the centre. Two played with a chessboard hovering between them, rarely moving the pieces, seeming content to gaze at the board. One sat in a very comfortable looking chair, tapping his fingers to a beat only he could hear. The last figure sat reading a book levitating in front of her, the pages fluttering at her command.

"I'm back, miss me ?" The newcomer asked, floating over to the group. A stool materialized as he approached, which he promptly sat in.

He was met with silence from his companions.

Pouting, he moved over to the two girls playing chess. "I believe that's checkmate, Heidi," One of the pieces on the board vanished, letting out a squeak as it ceased to exist. With the piece blocking the King (Which was, fittingly, a white marble Nidoking) removed, the game was indeed over.

Not looking up from her game, the girl addressed pointed a finger at the floating boy next to her. There was a flash, followed by a bang, and the boy dropped, clipping the board and sending pieces flying. He lay still for a few moments, before propping himself up on an elbow.

"Kinda harsh, this was my favourite shirt," He complained, pointing to the hole left in the centre of the shirt's torso.

"That was my favourite pawniard," Heidi replied, levitating the pieces back to their original positions. "Was there any point in interrupting our game, Daniel ? We were so close to finishing, I'd say maybe three more days, five tops." With that said, she moved her first piece, a soft clacking sound reverberating through the room as she set it down.

"I think you'll find that my piece of news is a bit more fun than one of your endless chess games with Helen," Daniel replied, his eyes dancing.

"Really, Helen ? Is it really that hard to say the 'a' on the end ?" The girl who must have been Helena asked, raising an eyebrow. A piece of hers started to move of its own volition, before one of its fellow pieces stopped it, making a cracking sound as the fellow pawniard ran into the outstretched arm of its comrade.

"No, but you're so very fun to annoy," Daniel said, blowing a razz-berry at Helena.

"Ugh, just tell us what's so interesting," Helena said, rolling her eyes.

"I have found someone..." Daniel paused, fixing the hole in his shirt. "- To participate in our little game ~"

All noise in the room stopped. Gone was the rustling of the pages from the girl sitting reading her book. The chess pieces had stopped squabbling, becoming lifeless as the attention of their controllers was turned away from them.

"You've really found someone to play ?" The boy sitting in the chair asked.

"He said he was bored, wished for something... interesting to happen," Daniel replied, grinning. "I believe that he'll find it very... interesting,"

"Let me guess, you haven't given him any sort of clues, have you ?" Helena asked, vanishing the clipboard with a snap of her fingers.

"Not a one,"

"You're a complete and utter heartless bastard, you know that, right ?" The seated boy asked, sitting up.

"Yup,"

There was a moment of silence, before both boys high-fived.

"So it's all settled then ?" Helena asked, standing up.

"Indeed it is," Daniel said, his stool moving towards him so he could sit down. "Are we all interested ?"

"Count me in," Heidi said, exchanging the chessboard for a map of Pokémon world. Several regions were crossed out or greyed, while others were brightly illuminated. Johto in particular had extra illumination.

"Ditto," The boy in the chair said, reclining once more.

"Oh yes, this'll be fun," Helena said, moving to the only one who hadn't yet spoken. "And you, Kari ? Will you be participating ?"

The girl with the book looked up, snapping the tome shut. The sound echoing throughout the room as she pondered Helena's question.

"Yes,"

"Excellent," Daniel's grin turned from slightly mischievous to something more menacing.

"This time tomorrow, our new friend will find himself in a situation most... interesting,"

For the first time in years, the halls of the forgotten castle echoed with laughter.

* * *

The door of Nate's house burst open. The noise disturbed Ifrit, the family's arcanine, who let out a bark as Nate passed. Nate paid him no attention other than a muttered 'Sorry 'frit', dashing up the stairs to his room.

Once inside, he took a look around at the room that had been his ever since he was a baby. He still had the same Eevee wallpaper in the corner that he couldn't bring himself to take down. His computer and desk took residence in one corner, with his bed dominating the opposite side of the room. There was a small pile of clothes in the area by the foot of his bed, his laundry hamper overflowing with undone laundry.

Sitting himself down on his bed with a sigh, Nate thought about his 'encounter' near Cherrygrove.

There's no way anything could really be happening, right ?

_Then why do I feel so... watched ?_

Shuddering, the teen flopped down, glancing at his clock.

_4:30, huh ? _

_Maybe I'm just tired..._

Deciding that he might have a clearer head after getting some sleep, Nate closed his eyes, and let himself drift off into dreamland.

Not long after that, a figure clad in a black cloak materialized, sitting on his desk. "Tch, told you have one day, and you're wasting it," The girl muttered. "Pathetic. And you're the one Daniel's chosen ? Figures he'd pick someone like you for this."

Downstairs, Ifrit whined, putting his paws over his ears.

The glowing orbs that served as the girl's eyes underneath the hood narrowed. Gliding down the stairs, she came to a stop next to the quivering fire-type. "It's nice to see that someone remembers to be afraid," She said sweetly, patting the large pokémon. "Too bad for your boy, it's far too late for him."

With that, she started to slowly fade from the house, her mocking laughter echoing through the terrified arcanine's ears.

* * *

**And done.**

**Phew, that took more effort than I anticipated.**

**Well, this is *technically not* my first fic on this site. If you decide to check my profile page, aside from the fact that it's horribly outdated, you'll see I have another story.**

**Yeah, don't read that. It's dead. Killed with fire.**

**This, though. This is going strong, and will likely be quite looooooooong.**

**And now for the part of the authors notes where I promote things that aren't mine.**

**Can that really happen ? Why yes, yes it can.**

**If you'd like to check out the place where the idea for this story originated, check out the Mythological Games Forum. The name comes from one of the many RP's going on over there, but it's also a great place to chat. Just head down to the general forums section and look for the one with icon of a knight and some... dragon... thing.**

**Other forums getting the Sky!seal of approval are Sunbean's forum of Wonder and Excitement, and This is Not a forum (lovingly called TiNa). Both of these lovely forums can be found in the amongst the Pokémon forums.**

**This prologue seemed a bit rushed at the end to me. Might be just me, but I'd totally appreciate hearing feedback from others. Cool fact : that box down there beneath all of this extra dark text ? It lets you (the readers) tell me (the writer) what you thought about the less than extra-dark text you see (Or you could talk this part****. If you really wanted to, I suppose).**

**For those of you thinking 'TL;DR', I have an abridged version of the above ramble.**

**Don't :**

**- Check out my other story**

**Do:**

**- Check out the awesome shiny forums. They've been known to cure boredom and premature baldness (ok, maybe not that second one, but we're still testing)**

**- Review :D (Every time you click the review button, I get a warm and fuzzy)**

**Until next time, stay fabulous ~**

**-Sky **


	2. Cyndaquil is Best Starter

**Disclaimer: Pokémon is still not mine. That's #63 on my list of things to do.**

Ask an athlete one of their favourite things to besides their sport, and the answer might be quite simple: naps. There is something about laying down to rest in the middle of the day. Upon waking up, people can take comfort in the fact that there are only a few more hours of wakefulness left before they can go back to sleep. The feeling is simply awesome, and the results can be quite rejuvenating. When Nate's eyes fluttered open, he found himself in agreement.

_Aaaaaah, I feel awesome,_ he thought, swinging his feet off the side of the bed. As he brushed his hair out of his eyes, he was able to see his reflection in the mirror he had on the wall opposite his bed. Nate didn't consider himself to be vain, but he did like to maintain his 'style', and usually took a minute or two after he woke up to get his hair back to its usual state. His efforts rewarded him with a look that resembled bed head, but he would insist was 'loveable rogue'.

Why is it that I never take naps anymore? he wondered as he turned away from his mirror. While he puzzled over what he felt was a very profound question, he almost didn't notice Ifrit entering his room.

"Hey, 'frit." The teen reached down to scratch the large canine Pokémon behind the ears. "How are you this fine..." he glanced at the clock "evening?"

Ifrit whined, motioning towards the stairs with his head. Something was clearly bothering the fire type.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Nate asked, crouching down.

Ifrit went to the doorway, then returned to Nate and whined.

"Oh, this is because I forgot to feed you when I got home, isn't it?"

Ifrit huffed, flopping down. He loved his owner (sadly not his trainer) dearly, but sometimes it was hard when said owner acted so dense.

"Don't worry, we'll go get you something to eat," Nate promised, making his way to the door.

Ifrit sat down and waited.

Before long, Nate's voice came drifting from downstairs. "What happened to the house?"

Nate was dumbstruck.

His house had never been large, but he was positive that it had more than two rooms.

"Wha- what happened to the everything?" the flustered teen stammered. No reply was given. Not even from his mother, sitting at a table in the middle of the room.

"Hey mom, what happened to the house?"

No response.

"Hello... mother?"

Again Nate was given the silent treatment.

"Parental figure?" Nate inquired, gritting his teeth. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

_That's kind of harsh,_ a new voice said, tutting. _This is the woman that raised you._

_Well... no she's not, but she's doing a great job standing in for the real thing, don'tcha think?_the original voice chimed in.

"...What...?"

_Sure, there are a few kinks to work out, but she functions so well..._

"You have got to be kidding m-"

Just walk up and talk to her, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Rolling his eyes, Nate walked up to his 'mom'.

Before he could start to speak, the woman seated at the table spun around to meet him.

"Hi, Nate! You're finally awake. Your friend Lyra was just here. She was playing hide-and-seek with her Marill. Oh, I almost forgot! Our acquaintance, Professor Elm, was looking for you. He said he had a favor to ask of you. You know where the lab is, right? It's right next door to us. By the way, do you have everything you need to go out? Here, use this Bag to carry things..." She handed Nate his bag, which he was positive had been left upstairs.

"Lyra? Who's Lyra? And how did you get my ba-" Before Nate could finished, he was cut off.

"This is your Trainer Card..." A brand-new trainer card with a rather unflattering picture of Nate was handed to him.

"But you said I couldn't go on a -"

"Here you can save a record of your progress..."

"Save? What does that even-"

"These are also rather helpful... Just try touching the buttons and you'll know what to do in no time."

"I know how to use my Pokégear," Nate snapped, patience worn thin. "What's going on?"

"Professor Elm has been waiting for you, dear. Please, go and help him."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Professor Elm has been waiting for you, dear. Please, go and help him."

Nate let out a noise similar to what a Skitty makes when sat on by a Rhydon, throwing his hands in the air.

_Aw, don't be like that, it's an older model__._ A new voice spoke up, female this time.

"Who are you?" Nate said, backing away from the 'model'. "Also: where are you?"

"Right behind you ~" another female voice whispered.

Nate's brain tried to process this little tidbit of information. It failed, so he did what came naturally to him in stressful situations.

He fainted.

When Nate started to some to, he could hear the voices from earlier. Some of them sounded annoyed, but a couple were amused.

"-can't believe that you'd do that." A voice Nate didn't know was speaking. "You nearly gave him a heart attack."

"Heart attack?" This voice Nate recognized. It was the one he'd heard near Cherrygrove. "I got this."

Nate felt a feeling of impending doom. Struggling to sit up, he found himself unable to move just yet.

There was a crackling sound, and Nate could feel his hairs standing on end.

"Clear."

_Uh o-_

Nate would later liken the feeling that followed to getting kicked in the chest by a grumpy Rapidash. He would also say his 'surprised battle cry' was manly and impressive. He would be incorrect on both accounts; Rapidash hooves cause much greater injuries, and he screamed like a frightened schoolgirl.

... I'm going to open my eyes, and nothing's going to be there...

When Nate made good on his promise, he found that not only were there five nothings in front of him, they all wore varying expressions of amusement. The parts that were visible, that is.

Each of the five before him wore long hooded cloaks that obscured most of their faces, leaving only the mouth and nose visible in most cases.

The one directly in front had the widest grin of the bunch, and was holding a pair of disgruntled looking Pichu, who quickly wriggled free. Nate didn't watch them go, opting instead to glare at the person in front of him.

"That was awesome," the person gushed, giving most of a face to the voice Nate had first encountered. "You should have seen your face." The boy quickly lapsed into incoherent giggles, leaving Nate free to examine the other people currently occupying his former living room. Three of the remaining figures seemed to be female, wearing cloaks of a different style and pattern than the first one. The final member also appeared to be male, very similar in size and stature to the laughing boy in front of him.

"Yes. Ha. Ha. Ha," Nate snarked, turning back to the one that had zapped him. "Who a-"

Just as quickly as he'd started laughing, the figure stopped, standing upright again. "Ah yes, questions. You have a bunch of those, don't you?"

"Actually, ye-"

The boy cut him off again. "Don't bother, I can read your mind. The answers to your questions, in order are: no, yes, yes, no, possible but not likely, no, sometimes, only on Tuesdays, for the lulz, and not gonna happen,"

There was a pause, Nate looking confused, the boy before him looking satisfied with the answers provided.

One of the females broke the silence with a loud bang, making a shooting motion with her fingers.

The unnamed boy dropped, a hole appearing on the front of his cloak.

Before Nate could begin to protest the wanton destruction in his living room, another one of the girls moved forward to speak.

"Don't worry about Daniel, he'll be fine. Heidi doesn't find his antics as amusing as he does," she assured him, motioning to the two as she named them.

The girl identified as Heidi nodded, the visible portion of her face becoming a grimace. "Oi, muk for brains, get up," she commanded, kicking the fallen boy in the side.

Daniel sighed, sitting up, revealing completely healthy skin underneath the hole in his clothes. "Why do you always ruin my clothes?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Because you're confusing the poor thing," the one who'd reassured Nate informed him.

"That's right," Heidi confirmed, before turning her attention to Nate. "What the doofus said was correct, but you probably need a little more detail, eh?"

Nate nodded, not trusting his voice.

_Wise choice_, sounded one what could only be the only unnamed male's voice.

"Anyway," Heidi continued, either not noticing or not caring about Nate's momentary lapse of concentration. "No, you're not dreaming. Yes, you'll probably wish you were by the time this is over. Yes, you have no say in the matter. No, this is not negotiable. It's possible we'll tell you everything, but it's not very likely. No, you're not the first one this has happened to, and we do this semi-regularly." She paused, looking thoughtful. "And that's all I could make sense of,"

"You missed the best ones," Daniel complained.

"I left out the stupid ones," Heidi countered.

"It covered everything I wanted to know," Nate admitted.

Daniel huffed, turning his back on the group, sulking in silence.

"Excellent," said Helena, clapping her hands together. "Everything's ready,"

"Wait," Nate interrupted the cowled girl. "What happens now?" _Hey, that wasn't in the series of answers._

_That would be because Daniel tends to overlook small details,_ the voice came again, causing Nate to turn his head to look at the likely speaker.

The boy waved, the visible part of his face twisting into a grin. _As much as I'm sure you'd love to hear my stories, Heidi's speaking, and she hates to be ignored ~_

Nate quickly turned his attention back to the volatile girl, hoping that she hadn't noticed that his attention had been elsewhere. Either she indeed hadn't noticed, or the other boy was lying about her temper. Given her earlier treatment of Daniel, Nate was more inclined to believe the former.

"...so get'cher sorry self down to Elm's so you can get your Pokédex, starter, and all those important things I'm too lazy to give you,"

"Why can't I just use Ifrit?" Nate asked, confused. It made perfect sense to him. Even though the Arcanine wasn't formally trained, he'd still be a much better choice to start out with.

"Because I'm a big meanieface who hates joy and happiness,"

"..."

"I'm serious, get moving,"

And so Nate left his house, giving his Arcanine a scratch behind ears before he did.

"... Is it just me, or is Elm's lab waaaaay closer to my house than it was earlier today?" Nate asked himself.

_Sorry about that,_ Helena told him. _We were sorta pressed for time, so we just went with what we knew._

"What you knew?" Nate had no idea what the other girl was talking about or how she was able to talk to him without actually being there.

_That would be one of the 'others' Heidi mentioned,_ Helena continued. _You're going on pretty much the same journey as he did._

_... For the most part..._

"O-kaaay," Nate decided not to press the matter further. He was confused enough as it was, and he didn't feel like adding to his confusion.

_Probably for the best._

_Now go get your starter ~_

Nate finished the oddly short walk from his house to the professor's lab. He tried not to think about what happened to the rest of the town, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the fact that his town had been reduced to a scant few buildings. Any thoughts of the townspeople, and his parents, he thought better left alone.

_Them?_ Daniel's voice asked.

_Oh, they're in Poké-hell ~_

"What's Poké-hell?" Nate asked, though he was afraid of the answer he'd receive.

_It's just like the regular one, only there are no card games_, Daniel's voice replied, taking on a grave and dramatic tone.

"..."

_Wrong hell, Daniel,_ Helena said.

_Oh, right,_ Daniel sounded mareepish.

_Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it's awful ~_

_And on that happy thought, in you go ~_

Before Nate could protest, the door to the lab swung open, and he was thrown inside.

The lab was just like Nate remembered. The machines lining the walls and taking up space on the floor were the same, the lab techs were the same, and Professor Elm was the same. Seeing the familiar sight brought a sense of relief to Nate.

It didn't last very long.

After his initial scan of the room, Nate noticed that none of the room's occupants had even acknowledged his entrance. Even though he was happy that his ungraceful entrance had gone unnoticed, the way that not one person in the lab had made any sort of reaction disturbed him. It was like he didn't exist.

"Hey, is the Professor here?" he asked one of the techs, approaching the table where he was... standing. While the tech would normally be fiddling with some gadget that Nate couldn't hope to understand, he seemed to be standing at the desk with no purpose. If it wasn't for the blinking of his eyes or the expanding of his chest, Nate would have sworn he wasn't real.

Taking a deep breath, Nate decided to ignore the statuesque figures occupying the lab tables, electing to instead focus on the one person who he'd noticed still moved. The Professor had come out from behind a corner, and could be seen working near the back of the lab.

"I'm here for my starter," Nate declared, marching up to the Professor. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy saying the words he'd dreamed of saying for years.

_See, we're so awesome, setting that up for you ~_ Daniel said inside Nate's head. _You're welcome ~_

Professor Elm gave Nate a grin. "About time, isn't it?"

"Yeah, several years late, but better than never," Nate replied.

"Well, normally I'd give you some sort of speech, but I think you know the drill by now," Professor Elm began to move to a machine Nate knew held the Pokéballs of the Johto starters. "Put any thought into which one you'd like to take?"

Nate had. He'd spent quite a long time thinking about his choice.

Chikorita. Sure, it wasn't the smartest choice when one thought about the leaders of the region, but there was something about the little Grass type that Nate liked.

_Chikorita?_ The unnamed boy asked, incredulous. _You have GOT to be kidding me._

"Yes,Professor, I have,"

_I won't stand for this._

"Wonderful, what have you chosen?"

"I chose C-"

_Cyndaquil_

"-yndaquil,"

"Great choice," Professor Elm turned to the machine and selected a Pokéball.

"What," Nate said in a flat, unbelieving tone.

_You'll thank me for this, trust me._

* * *

**And that's chapter two.**

**Please let me know what you think via that wonderful box right below this message. **

**Special thanks goes to infinityphoenix, who Beta'd this chapter.**

**I would also like to thank Shadow of Eckhart, who helped motivate me to complete this chapter (Happy now, Shadow?)**

**Both of these lovely gentleman can be found around the forums I mentioned last chapter.**

**Stay fabulous ~**

**Sky **


	3. How Do I Logic?

**Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen setbacks, #63 has been pushed back to spot #78. This means I will own Pokémon after I invent the greatest thing since sliced bread, but before I revolutionize the juice box industry. Sadly, I'm still on #2, so I still do not own Pokémon.**

Nate spent the rest of his meeting with Professor Elm in a daze. He couldn't believe that he had finally been given the chance to start his Pokémon journey, and just when he thought that he would be able to do so with the Pokémon of his choice, that choice had been snatched away.

Professor Elm finished his beginning trainer speech, and handed Nate his Poké Balls and Pokédex.

After registering the Professor in his Pokégear, Nate left the lab. It was odd; Nate had always imagined receiving his first Pokémon would be one of the most exciting moments of his life. Instead, as Nate left the lab he felt empty. Gone was the fleeting feeling that he still had some sense of control in his life. His choices meant nothing, and rather than feeling satisfied, he felt cold disappointment.

_Oh, don't be such a downer,_ the voice in his head drawled. _I was doing you a huge favour. Cyndaquil's line is the better choice for trainers in the Johto region when you think about the various leaders and Elite Four members. Chikorita's evolution family, on the other hand, is weak to several of them, and is strong against a grand total of: none of them. Furthermore, the -_

_"_I get why you did it," Nate interrupted. "I still wanted Chikorita."

_Someone's being ungrateful ~_ Daniel said, giggling in Nate's mind.

_Hush, he's clearly bothered,_ Helena said, obviously reprimanding her companion. _Let's leave him alone, shall we?_

_Sure,_ Daniel replied. _Let's go see if we can find that guy with the..._ his voice faded away, and the rest of his words became inaudible to Nate. A fact he found quite odd, as the voice was inside his head.

The teen shrugged, before he decided he may as well start moving. As soon as he stepped away from the door, there was a quick flash, accompanied by the sound of a Poké Ball opening. After he turned around, Nate saw that behind him was a small echidna-like Pokémon looking up at him with him a look Nate couldn't decipher.

_Aw, isn't she adorable?_ the voice asked.

_Go away._

_Fine, fine, I'll give you two some time to bond ~_

Nate rolled his eyes, before he looked back down at his Pokémon. Cyndaquil hadn't moved an inch, which creeped Nate out a little bit. No matter what faces he made at the Cyndaquil, she just stood there. _Creepy..._

After he tried (and failed) to take his mind off of the lack of response he was getting, Nate decided to try out the Pokédex the professor had given him. After he pointed it at his new Pokémon, he pressed the 'On' button. Almost immediately, the machine came to life.

"Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon. It usually stays hunched over. If it is angry or surprised, it shoots flames out of its back,"

_Well... she's hunched over, and I can't see any flames..._ Nate thought after he gave his Cyndaquil a quick once-over. _... So I guess she's feeling pretty good..._

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Nate asked his starter, over his shoulder.

The Cyndaquil gave no response. If it wasn't for the fact that Nate could see her breathing, he would have sworn she wasn't real.

_Ok, that's odd..._

_You'll get used to it ~_ Helena's voice told him.

_I thought you were giving us time to bond,_ Nate thought back, irritated.

_We did, and now that time's over,_ Daniel said seriously, and Nate could picture the other boy nodding. _And a good thing we came back when we did; you need to come up with a name for your starter. _

_...Come to think of it, it might have been a good idea to remind you to do that before..._There was an awkward pause where neither Nate nor Daniel spoke, before Daniel continued. _Aaaanyway, you totally need to come up with a name, unless you're one of those people that don't give their Pokémon names._

_Uh... ok...How about Thermonuclear? Because she's a fire type._ Nate suggested.

_Haha, no._

_Why not?_

_Waaaaaaaay too long: make it 10 characters or less._

_Why would I do that?_

_It needs to fit on the display._ Nate got a mental image of some sort of display. It had a few bars, icons, and a space for a name. 'Characters' took up the section for the name.

_Couldn't you just move it over into the free space?_ Nate asked, noting the empty space at the side of the display.

_...Shut up, it's tradition. Now choose a better name._

_Fine... How does Ember sound?_ he asked, grumbling to himself.

_Horribly clichéd, but I guess I'll let it slide,_ Daniel replied as his voice faded out.

Nate felt his eyes turn towards the heavens, his exasperation having reached levels he had previously thought impossible.

"Well," he told his starter. "How's Ember sound?" As he asked the question, he turned towards Ember so he could better see her response.

Ember shook her entire body, before hopping into the air, making a happy noise.

**Your Pokémon stretched out its body and is relaxing.**

_Wha-_

_Just ignore that,_ Helena chimed in. _We're still working out a few bugs in the system._

_Okay..._

_Speaking of, _the girl continued, _we forgot to mention what you should do first. There's a man near Cherrygrove known by most as "Mr. Pokémon". Go visit his house, and you'll be glad you did._

"Alright, that all?" Nate asked.

_Go say goodbye to your 'mom',_ Daniel added. Nate could almost feel the smug look on the lower half of the boy's face.

_Ha. Ha. Ha. No._

_It would be a good idea,_ Helena urged.

_Fine._

Nate started to make his way home, before realizing something: he was moving slow. Impossibly slow. And try as he might, there was no way for him to go any faster.

"Hey, what gives?" he asked out loud.

_You don't have running shoes on ~_ Daniel informed him in the smug tone Nate was starting to associate with him.

_You're telling me I can't run because__** I'm wearing the wrong kind of shoes?!**_

_Yes ~_

_... _Nate said a word that would have gotten him grounded had his mother not been replaced by some form of android, and began once again making his (remarkably slow) way home.

_This is gonna be a loooong trip._

"Was there a reason for making me go that slowly?" Nate asked once he finally made it back inside his house. He noted that it still seemed to have only one room on the bottom floor. He wasn't sure where his 'mother' was supposed to sleep, but supposed that since 'she' was a robot, it didn't really matter.

_Honestly? Not really,_ Helena admitted. _But Daniel finds it hilarious._

"I hate him," Nate muttered, walking up to his 'mom'. "So very much."

_Most do ~_ Daniel said, not sounding repentant in the slightest.

"Oh! Nate! That's a cute Pokémon you have. Professor Elm must have given it to you. Oh, Professor Elm has a task for you, you say? What kind of task? ... I see. That sounds a little difficult. But when someone takes that kind of request of you, it must be important!"

"Thanks..." Nate was confused as to how his 'mom' knew what he needed to before he had told her, but then remembered that Helena had been talking about reusing an old model. Maybe the chore was the same as last time? Shrugging, the teen blew a few errant strands of brown hair out of his eyes, turning to leave. "I'll give you a call once I'm on the way back,"

"Oh, that's right! I completely forgot! Your Pokégear came back from the repair shop! Here you go!" The robot, who Nate decided he'd just call the 'Mombot 9000', tried to hand him something, presumably the box for his Pokégear.

"Uhh... you do know you already gave me my Pokégear... right?" Nate asked, unsure of how to proceed.

"The Pokémon Gear... or Pokégear, as it's often called, is what every Trainer should have. Guess what? You can use the Pokégear to make a phone call, too. Do you remember how?" Mombot asked. There were a few errant sparks escaping from the side of its 'neck', and Nate would later swear he saw smoke coming from what functioned as its ears.

"Didn't think so," Nate muttered, before answering 'yes' to the question.

"Just power on the Pokégear and touch the telephone button, okay?" Mombot continued, even though Nate was sure he had said that he understood how to use his Pokégear. "The names of people you can call are automatically registered. Just select one to give him or her a call. Wow, I can't believe it's so easy to make a phone call!"

"...You are a stupid bucket of bolts, and your grandmother was a toaster..." Nate decided to test the Mombot to see if it was actually processing what was said to it.

"What's wrong? Did you forget how to get to Mr. Pokémon's house? Go north on Route 30. Take care, dear."

"...I am going to recycle you. Into a garbage can..."

"What's wrong? Did you forget how to get to Mr. Pokémon's house? Go north on Route 30. Take care, dear."

"...Screw this..." Nate left the house, ignoring the Mombot's repeated directions to Mr. Pokémon's house.

Admittedly though, he didn't have any idea of where Mr. Pokémon's house was.

_Oh, that's easy,_ Daniel told him. _Just go north on Route 30 ~_

_All of my hate..._

_All of it._

"So what was the deal with the Mombot back there?" Nate asked, making the trek once more from his house towards the lab. He still hadn't figured out how to move any faster, and the townspeople were either no longer there, or in the same weird statue pose the lab technician had been. Ember wasn't much better, only ever reacting when he turned and addressed her directly, so he was left without options. If he wanted to alleviate the boredom, he'd have to talk to the ones responsible for the mess he was in.

_I told you, it's an old model,_ Helena reminded him. _There're still a few kinks we need to work out,_

"Wonderful, so it'll be like this all the time?" Nate was past worrying about people hearing him. No one responded without direct interaction, and even then, it was the same phrase over and over again, an odd glassy look on their features.

_Just until we get the hang of this; it's been a little while since we've done this._

"Great," Nate said, rolling his eyes. He was just passing Elm's lab for the second time when he noticed a wispy figure standing outside of the window. "What's with him?"

_Another bug... sort of..._

"Sort of?"

_Strong people leave impressions. When we, for lack of a better term, kickstarted this chain of events again, bits of his essence remained._

"What would happen if I tried talking to him?"

_He wouldn't notice you,_

"Whatever," Nate continued on his way until he reached the beginning of Route 29. He paused, allowing himself a few moments to appreciate the situation. After years of begging his parents to let him go, he was finally doing it. He was leaving on his Pokémon journey. Words couldn't accurately describe how he felt. Nothing could ruin this moment for him. He pumped, he was ready, he was-

_Oh for the love of Arceus' squeaky wheel, get a move on,_ Heidi snapped, obviously impatient.

"Well screw you too," Nate muttered, taking the first steps on what truly counted as his journey, Ember faithfully following a step behind.

"Now, this might be just me, but I could've sworn the route was different yesterday," Nate said, noting the changes to the world around him. It was an odd feeling. Everything was familiar, but there was enough different about it to make it alien to Nate. Gone were the wide spaces between the trees, a dense, impassable wall of green in their places. No longer could Pokémon of all types and sizes be seen just off the path. Aside from Nate and Ember, the route was deserted.

_Well, we had to make a few changes to the scenery,_ Helena explained. _It makes it much easier to..._

"Screw with me?" Nate asked.

_I was going to say 'monitor', but that works._

"Whatever," Nate sighed, stepping over one of the natural ledges that still remained from the route's previous incarnation.

At least, Nate tried to step over the ledge. Instead, Nate found that while he was more than capable of lifting his leg high enough to clear the ledge, he couldn't push it forward. It was as if there was an unseen force preventing him from moving forward.

"What gives?" he asked his 'companions', if they could even be called that. Aside from their earlier appearance in his house, Nate hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of any of them. Heck, he hadn't even heard from two of them. _Huh, wonder why that is..._

_Well... Kari thinks you're a tad boring,_ Helena told him, having the decency to sound embarrassed.

"And the other guy?"

_He likes to maintain an air of mystery ~_ Daniel supplied.

"Ok, let him be antisocial," Nate said, irritated that the only sensible guy didn't want to talk to him. "Let's get back to the matter at hand,"

_More like foot ~_ Daniel's giggle was quickly nearing the top of Nate's 'Most Hated Sounds' list.

"Ignoring that. Why can't I step over this ledge?"

_That's an easy one_, Daniel told him. _The path goes that way._

"...You lost me," Nate admitted, grudgingly.

_We can't have you wandering around all willy-nilly, so we've decided it's in our best interests to make you unable to climb up and over ledges ~_

"And stairs?"

_Those are fine._

"Wha? Bu- how?"

_Because of reasons ~_

Nate tried his hardest to understand how such a thing could possibly work. Failing that, he decided it would be best to humour Daniel, and turned go the long way. There was something about the long way that seemed off to him, but he just couldn't figure out what it was. After a few moments, it hit him.

"What's with all the grass?" he asked. If there was something that he'd learned within the past few hours, it was that everything was out to get him, and the grass in front of him couldn't be an exception.

_What about it?_ Daniel asked with an air of innocence about him.

"It wasn't there yesterday, why's it there now?"

_...I'm an avid botanist?_

"...You know what? I'm going to step forward. And if when I do, I burst into flames or something equally stupid, I will come back and haunt you,"

_It's grass, not combustible grass._ Helena said, metaphorically stepping in.

_Now __**that**__ is a __**wonderful**__ idea. I'll be right back._ Daniel's voice faded out again.

"You're sure it's safe?" Nate asked. He didn't trust the eccentric boy.

_You will not burst into flames,_ Helena replied.

"Oddly specific, but I'll take it," Nate said, stepping into the first patch of grass.

Against all of Nate's expectations, nothing happened.

"Huh," Nate took another step, then another, and another. "I guess that wasn't so ba-" On the fifth step, Nate's vision went funny, and he would later swear black squares were dancing in front of eyes. Music began blaring from no discernible source, and when Nate regained his vision, the silhouette of a bird Pokémon swam into his vision. It stopped a few meters in front of him, with an odd box floating next to it. The box had the word 'Pidgy' at the top, right above a large green bar. The other side had 'Lv3' along with the male symbol.

A wild Pidgy appeared!

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Go, Ember!

Ember leaped from her spot behind Nate. She let out a battle cry, igniting the flames on her back while a similar box appeared next to her.

"There is no possible way this is happening."

_You like it?_ Daniel asked, his giggle announcing his return. _Picked the battle music myself ~_

For the second time that day, Nate swore loudly and with little regard for his lung capacity.

* * *

**Aaaand done. **

**I have to say, it was fun writing this chapter.**

**I've restarted my copy of Soul Silver, so now I get to take a stab at the playthrough story. **

**Special thanks to Infinity Phoenix, my super special awesome beta. **

**Do you find yourself experiencing feelings of nausea, heartburn, and a severe lack of role-playing?**

**Well, I can't do anything about the first two things, but if you head on over to the Mythological Games forum, we can totally take care of that last problem. **

**Just check out the first page of the 'General' forums. We're the one with the awesome dragon and knight on the front.**

**For your Pokémon related forum needs, I'd recommend Sunbean's Forum of Wonder and Excitement, and This is Not a Forum (TiNa). Both could use a bit of love, and the lurkers don't bite. Much. **

** Until next time.**

**Stay fabulous.**

**~Sky**


	4. Scrappy Mechanics

_**Disclaimer: Working away at #3 right now, so I still do not own Pokémon.** _

_This is not happening…_ Nate told himself once he was able to get his breath back, unable to wrap his brain around the spectacle in front of him. Pokémon did not just… appear out of nowhere. It was basic common sense, unless the Pokémon in question was a ghost type (or possibly a Kecleon, or possibly a ghost type Kecleon).  
_…_  
_Please tell me I'm dreaming._

_Ok, you're dreaming ~_ Daniel replied, in a mocking tone that made it very easy to imagine a smug look on his face, like a Delcatty that had gotten away with eating the neighbor's Rattata.

_Now say it like you mean it, please… _While Nate was willing to remain at least somewhat optimistic, there was only so far that he was willing to trust the other boy. That is to say, he didn't trust Daniel at all, but it would be nice to hear that the laws of common sense still applied.

_No can do, 'cuz you're totally not dreaming~_

_I was afraid of that..._

_You know, you're taking this immensely well ~_ Helena chimed in.

_I thought I might be a bit more rattled,_ Nate admitted._ What with everything I know crashing down around me. But after the robot replica of my mom, being unable to run or jump, and the odd lack of life no matter where I look, this isn't actually too far out there._ Now that he had time to cool down, Nate could see that he really should have been expecting some sort of catch ever since Daniel directed him to the grass.

_That takes all the fun out of surprising you._ Daniel sounded disappointed, but Nate honestly didn't care. If the strange, reality bending boy that had started making his life a (confusing) waking nightmare was unable to get his kicks, Nate was perfectly fine with that._ I'll be back later, when he's ready to be surprised like a good boy..._

Nate rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to the wild Pidgey.

It hadn't moved, and was staring at Ember with its odd, unblinking eyes. If it hadn't been for it moving earlier, Nate would have sworn it was simply a very detailed doll, perhaps like the kind that was trending in Hoenn. Nate had never seen the point of getting dolls when the real things were much easier to obtain and much more satisfying to spend time with. There was also the added bonus of not needing to explain to a partner/spouse about why one had a secret lair filled with life-sized dolls.

After pushing thoughts of creepy doll-filled rooms from his mind, Nate studied the scene again. He had already noticed that Ember had a similar floating box, but hers was different in a few ways. Where the Pidgey's box simply read **'Pidgey'**, Ember's box read **'Ember'**. There was also the universal symbol for 'female' in her box, and the symbol for 'male' adorning the Pidgey's box. Ember's box also had the addition of a '20/20' underneath her green bar, as well as an extra bar with 'EXP' running along the bottom.

_Ok, so that's probably the name..._ Nate decided. _Which makes sense, I guess, the wild Pidgey not having a name yet... No explanation needed for the gender symbols..._

The **'lvl' **had him stumped, as did the green bars with '**HP**' next to them. They likely had something to do with battling, but Nate was stumped. Surely they represented some complex aspect of the two pokémon that only the creators understood. Maybe the 20/20 stood for her vision. Did Cyndaquil typically have bad eyesight?

For some reason, after he completed that thought, the laughter of all five members of the mysterious group began reverberating through his head.

_What?_

_N-nothing, _Helena managed to get out between giggles._ Just b-battle ~_

_How do you stutter if you're not breathing?_ Nate asked, frustrated that he was being laughed at for some reason. After he received no response, he sighed, and decided that he may as well get the battle over with. The sooner he was finished, the sooner he would be able to get away from the grass. That and the 'battle music' was starting to grate on his nerves.

_What do fire types start out with again?_ Nate wondered, glancing at Ember. _Oh... right._

"Ember, use Ember!" _Oooooh, that's why Daniel didn't like that name..._

_... well crap..._

While Nate was reflecting upon the shortsightedness of his choice of name for his starter, Ember did nothing.

"Ugh, come on, Ember!"

Nothing.

_Y-you might want to check and see what moves she actually knows,_ Helena chimed in again, before dissolving into laughter again.

_And how would I do that? Nate_ asked, irritated.

_Check your arm, genius._ Heidi replied, snickering.

Checking his arm yielded another box, this time detailing what appeared to be an option screen. After scanning what options he had, Nate selected 'Fight', as he had no items or other Pokémon, and there was no way he'd run away from a Pidgey, no matter how annoying the music was getting.

_Let's see what we have here..._ Nate examined the display that came up after selecting the 'Fight' option.

"Tackle... and Leer..."

Nate stared at the display on his arm for a moment, seemingly willing it to read something else.

"..."

"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ANY FIRE TYPE MOVES? HOW?" Nate roared as he flailed his arms. It didn't make any sense. She was a fire type, fire types knew fire type moves. It was a basic rule of the universe, along with everyone hated Bidoof, and that one gym leader from Kanto would never get laid. If such basic rules were being violated, Nate didn't want to know what would happen next.

_Being a little dramatic, aren't we?_ Helena asked. _She's level five, give her some time, she's just a baby. You wouldn't expect a baby Pokémon to know moves like Fire Blast, would you?_

"Not knowing Fire Blast would be fine," Nate growled, patience reaching lows previously thought impossible. "But how can she not shoot fire from her face if she has no problem shooting it from her behind?"

_..._

Helena was silent.

_Because...Uh..._

_Because screw you, we do what we want._ Heidi chimed in again._ And we want you to do this our way, so no Fire Type moves until she's leveled up a bit more._

"What does that even mean, 'leveling up?'" Nate asked.

_If you stopped wasting time talking to the voices in your head, and more time beating the stupid bird, we wouldn't be having this conversation._ Heidi continued. Her tone had migrated away from amused and teasing, towards impatient and exasperated._ Honestly, this system is designed for 10 year olds, and you're having trouble with it. _

"What's that supposed to mea-"

_Just. Attack. The Pidgey._ Heidi sighed, her presence fading.

"Fine, fine," Nate focused on the battle again. Not surprisingly, the Pidgey and Ember hadn't moved. Nate idly wondered if it was comfortable to keep holding that position, because it sure didn't look comfortable. Maybe the strange forces holding them in place also made it so that -

_ATTACK IT, DAMMIT!_ Evidently, Heidi had kept watching even after her presence had faded away.

The mental yell gave Nate a start, and he hastily yelled out an attack. "Ember, Leer!" At the sound of the command, the Cyndaquil dutifully jumped to action. Well, perhaps jumped to action is a bit of a strong descriptor, and Ember only really shifted her position and glared at the Pidgey, a flash of light appearing near her eyes. The Pidgey shivered, and there was an odd tinkling sound from the display on Nate's arm, informing him that Ember had indeed used Leer, and that it had accomplished the desired task of lowering the enemy's defense.

"Wow, never would have figured that out," Nate muttered, unimpressed by the display.

_Huh, something we agree on ~_ Daniel chimed in from the back of Nate's head. Even though the teen was annoyed by the reappearance of his tormentor, he was too focused on the battle to really give the being much thought. _The lack of pizzazz with the Leer attack, I mean. Way back when it looked like a freaking laser beam from both eyes. Now that was a cool attack. Ever since we updated the graphics we've had this lame effect._

Nate had to admit to himself that he would have preferred lasers, but there was no force on the planet that would get him to admit that to Daniel.

_Don't worry, I can read your mind ~_ Daniel said cheerfully, his voice ringing around in Nate's head.

Nate growled to himself.

_Oh yeah, Growl's pretty useful..._ Daniel added. _Though I still prefer Leer myself._

_Losing. My. Smile._ Nate thought. _Deep breaths._

_Though Screech is waaaaay more useful..._

_In... Out... In... Out..._

_Buuuut..._

_Oh Mew no..._

_If the enemy uses Cotton Guard, then everything's just all screwed up ~_

No matter how hard Nate tried to ignore the chattering voice in his head, nothing was able to block it out. Plugging his ears did nothing but make him look like a tool, and talking louder to himself just prompted the other boy to do the same. Eventually, Nate snapped. Letting out an inhuman snarl, he screamed for Ember to do her next attack. "GRAGH! TACKLE DAMMIT! TACKLE!"

Nothing happened.

I quick look at his arm showed that the message describing the wild Pidgey's defense being lowered was still displayed.

"Why won't she attack?" Nate managed to get out after staring angrily at his arm for a few moments.

_Oh, because it isn't your turn, _Helena informed him.

_...what..._

_Allow me to explain,_ the girl continued. _In a Pokémon battle, each Pokémon gets one 'turn' per round. The order of turns is based upon the Pokémon's speed stat, which you can check outside of battle, or whenever your Pokémon levels up. Now that Ember's made her move, once you've confirmed that you've read the message, the Pidgey will make his move. Are you with me so far?_

_Yes,_ Nate replied. _And am I the first to mention how brain-shatteringly stupid that system is?_

_No, no you're not,_ Helena admitted. _And you likely won't be the last. We're not getting rid of it, though, so learn to love it. Well... just try and tolerate it._

Nate rolled his eyes, before tapping the display on his arm.

Almost immediately, the Pidgey sprang into action and charged towards Ember. Ember stood her ground as the Pidgey approached.

_Good, she must be preparing to jump away as it gets close,_ Nate thought. _There's no way she'd just stand there and take it._

Unfortunately for Ember (and for Nate's fraying sanity), she did indeed stand there and take it. After the hit connected, the green bar next to the 'HP' began to shrink, and the number went from '**20/20**' to '**17/20**'

As the number went down, and Nate didn't see Ember having any problems with her eyes, he began to think that maybe, just maybe, the number represented something more meaningful.

_No shit, Sherlock,_ Heidi sighed._ Care to guess what it represents?_

_Here's a hint: H... P..._

_Uh..._ For some reason, the possible significance that the two letters could have held was escaping him.

_Hit Points, 'HP' stands for hit points_, Heidi finally supplied after thirty seconds had gone by, and Nate could think of nothing besides the fact the Pecha berries also started with 'P'. _It represents how much health your Pokémon has; when it hits zero, your Pokémon faints._

_Oh, that makes perfect sense,_ Nate admitted.

_Of course it does, we designed this for ten year olds,_ Heidi snarked at him. _And you're sucking at it._

_Oh yeah? Well..._ "Ember, Tackle!" Nate called out the next attack, noticing that his display once again read 'What will Ember do?'. _How's that?_

The sound of slow clapping filled his head.

_Very good,_ Heidi told him. She used the same type of tone a teacher might use with a very young child. _You didn't even need us to tell you which move to use._

Nate ignored the negativity Heidi was throwing his way, and instead decided to watch Ember charge at the Pidgey. After she connected, the Pidgey's health bar shrank just as Ember's did. This time, however, the bar shrank to less than half of its original size.

"Aw yeah, that's how it's done!" Nate said, feeling smug.

The smug feeling only increased when the Pidgey missed his next attack.

Nate cackled, glad that something was finally going his way. His glee was short-lived; however, because Ember also missed her next 'Tackle' command.

"You missed! How could you miss?! He was three feet in front of you!"

Ember of course could not reply, and was hit by the Pidgey's next Tackle, which didn't miss.

"Hey look, he can hit things right in front of him!" Nate told his unresponsive Cyndaquil. He sighed afterwards, realizing the futility of yelling at something that wouldn't respond unless you used certain commands. "One more time, Tackle!"

The hit connected, and the Pidgey's health bar went to zero.

Nate could see that his display was saying something, but he just tapped it, anxious to move on. He missed the bar next to 'EXP' gaining some blue.

_I just hope I can get back to the normal world soon..._

The transition from the real world to the strange space where the battle was conducted took place even more quickly in reverse. Nate blinked, and he was suddenly back on the route in a pile of tall grass. Ember was once again on the patch of grass behind him.

"So... we just keep going forward?" he asked out loud. He wasn't really expecting an answer, so he wasn't surprised when he was met with silence. The teen shrugged his shoulders, before he started off once again.

The first step was uneventful, as was the second. Nate held his breath while taking the third step, fully expecting to have another 'encounter' as soon as he completed the step. When nothing happened, he let out the breath.

"Hah, this isn't so ba-" his next step brought the music and flashing black squares.

"-d... I hate my life..." Nate muttered while he watched to see what Pokémon he'd be facing next.

The silhouette of a quadrupedal Pokémon with a rather long tail appeared. Once it was close enough, the odd box-thing and the display on Nate's arm identified it as a Sentret.

"No big deal," Nate said out loud, confident he could handle a weak Pokémon like a Sentret. The number next to the 'lvl' on its box was lower than Ember's, so Nate was starting to think that it might mean Ember was stronger. It made sense, since starter Pokémon were typically a tad stronger than the Pokémon immediately adjacent to the towns the professors lived in.

"Ember, use Leer!"

The Fire Mouse Pokémon did the same glare that she'd used in the first battle against the Pidgey. Once the Sentret had recovered, it Tackled Ember. The number beneath the green bar went down to 13/20, and the colour changed from green to yellow. Not good, but no big deal... Nate thought.

"Ember, Leer again!" Nate called. _May as well get its defense low enough to just take it out in one hit..._

The Sentret's next attack brought Ember to 8/20, and the yellow turned to orange.

_Not great, but she can still take two more hits. I'll use Leer again, then take it down on the next turn because Ember's faster..._

"Leer!" Predictably, the Sentret's defense was lowered.

When the Sentret used tackle for the third time, something changed. Instead of the decrease of four hit points that the bar had been consistently decreasing by, the bar went all the way to zero. Ember let out a weak cry, before fainting.

_What?!_

A quick glance at his arm told him that it was a 'critical hit'.

_No._

Everything around Nate started turning white.

_No no no._

_Aw, you were doing so well..._ Helena sounded genuinely sad.

_NOOOOOOOOO!_

Nate tried to struggle, run, something; but it was no use. Eventually, he felt himself losing consciousness.

_Better luck next time~_ Daniel told him.

A few more moments of white, then all was black.

* * *

**Ok, so it's been a little while since my last update. Things were crazy busy as school came to a close, and the beginning of summer was pretty hectic as well.**

**Writing-wise, things have been going pretty well. Once I was able to sit down and get writing, this chapter didn't take very long at all. Neither should future chapters, seeing as from this point on it's mostly going to be a straight play-through of Soul Silver. Every name, Pokémon, and loss that Nate has will be the exact names, Pokémon, and losses that I had.**

**...**

**And yes, that means that I really did lose to a Sentret on route 29. I was filled with shame, and as my Beta Reader, Infinity Phoenix, will likely happily point out; I was freaking out over Skype after that particular incident.**

**Don't worry about the x/20 for Ember's health, I'm only mentioning it now because it's the very beginning. Most future references to the health bar (which will likely be few) will only give approximations (green, red, etc).**

**Non CP wise, I have a few things that I'm working on. Hopefully you'll enjoy them. Two of them probably won't be posted for a while, as they're likely going to be rather lengthy, and I have this to focus on. I'd like to get a sort of buffer done before I start trying to juggle updating more than one story.**

**The other one, which is a one-shot involving Mewtwo and that hilarious new form of his, will hopefully be up fairly soon.**

**I'd like to give a shout out to my awesome Beta, Infinity Phoenix. He's the one responsible for going through the tangled mess of words I produce when my face hits the keyboard, and telling me to straighten up and type properly. Oh, he also does important things like grammar and structure checking, as well as being a wonderful wall to bounce ideas off of.**

**Be sure to check out the Mythological Games forum. It's still fun, and it could use some new people to liven it up. Check it out in the general forums section.**

**Same goes for This is Not a Forum (TiNa), and Sunbean's Forum of Wonder and Excitement. Both can be found under games, then Pokémon. (Or you could just hit the forums button when you're browsing through Pokémon stories. Since, you know, you'd already be in the right section).**

**Feel free to drop a review in that lovely box down there. It fills me with warm and fuzzies, and lets me know if I've made any boo-boos while writing.**

**Until next time,**

**~Sky.**


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